Communication

In terms of what you want your driveway alarm system to do when it activates, there are essentially two choices.

Sound an alarm inside the house, or

Send an SMS text message to your phone and or other phones

Sounding an alarm inside your house is the cheapest option and will work well for the 99% of people who do NOT have a 200 + meter driveway.

These are what we call RF systems. You have a plug-in receiver / siren unit that is plugged in to a convenient socket in the house (ensure the unit you choose has a back-up battery) and the PIR detectors send alerts by RF (Radio Frequency) to the receiver. Some systems have multiple zones for multiple detectors and each zone has a different alarm tone, so you know where the activation is. In most instances, the detector cannot be more than 200 meters away from the receiver as the RF signal is limited in power. This distance can be much less depending on environment, landscape and building construction. Always check with your supplier first.

Sending an SMS text message upon activation is a more expensive option. Generally these are combined with a larger detector due to the electronics that have to be added. These generally will send a text message alert to several mobile numbers in the event of an activation. Generally these systems require the user to purchase their own SIM card.

These are great if you have a big area with multiple entrances and cannot get the range on an RF system, or if you are away from home a lot and want a neighbor to be alerted.